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It's a head-scratcher, all right. T-Mobile - according to the photographic evidence provided by Engadget - has started selling iPhone USB cables uniquely branded to the carrier as "Charge & Sync USB Cable." The obvious consequence of such a product arrival is the now-raging rumor that T-Mobile will soon become a carrier for the iPhone in the US, effectively breaking up the exclusivity of AT&T's lone grip on the Apple smartphone.

Although everyone is looking to the iPhone as T-Mobile's next big "get," let's not be too quick to dismiss the possibility of the iPad turning up at T-Mobile first. With Apple expressing interest in carrier expansion for its hugely popular tablet, T-Mobile is far more likely to join Verizon and AT&T as carriers of the iPad than a carrier of the iPhone - at least for now. The timing behind the release of the "Charge & Sync USB Cable," however, is strangely suspicious.

Only days ago, the suits at T-Mobile spoke out publicly about the carrier's struggling performance within the smartphone business. One of the factors T-Mobile executives pointed to in rationalizing their struggles is the fact that T-Mobile doesn't carry the iphone, which remains among the planet's most popular and in-demand smartphones. And just in case you didn't check out the news page on MMi Wednesday, yours truly covered T-Mobile'a brand new ad campaign taking direct aim at Apple, but more-so AT&T and its overburdened 3G network.